Group home operator has contract pulled
by Jason Small
A Whitehorse Star Archive story originally published November 1, 2000

A local group home operator believes the Yukon government pulled the plug on one of her homes because of concerns she had with the governmentâs child care practices.
Sandra Gibbs operates a group home for the government at 16 Klondike Rd. in Riverdale.
On Oct. 20, the government told Gibbs it was revoking its contract with her to operate the home, effective Dec. 19.
The territorial government will take over the operation of the home.
Gibbs said she believes the Department of Health and Social Services nixed the contract because of some concerns she took to officials.
Gibbs said there were some concerns with the governmentâs treatment of some children in the system. She said she went to them to talk about the problems.
Gibbs said the problems she took to the government were issues of multiple placements, and emotional and sexual abuse of the youth while in care. Gibbs believes these items have contributed to the psychological problems with the youth.
Gibbs wanted government input on working towards solving these problems because she noticed an alarming pattern.
ãWe have done everything possible to make them aware of it. It wasnât my intention to finger-wag at them. My intention was to have a dialogue, and to be able to speak about the pressing issues that we had found out and find solutions and (be) able to work together as a team,ä said Gibbs about going to the government.
ãUnfortunately, I was met with open hostility. And I felt because of the seriousness of this, I cannot keep quiet any longer.ä
Because of the response from the government, Gibbs decided to go to what she felt was a reasonable alternative ÷ the Yukon Health and Social Council, which advises the minister.
But after that, Gibbs heard from the government.
ãI received an e-mail back from the department telling me, or instructing me, not to go to the Health and Social Council or CYFN (the Council of Yukon First Nations) in the future without taking a representative from the department with me.ä
Gibbs had a meeting scheduled with the CYFN which the department cancelled. According to her, the Department of Health and Social Services then suggested she had already caused a problem by going to the health council.
Gibbs said one of her staff called Health Minister Don Roberts and asked about the contract termination. He said the fact Gibbs went to the health council was the ãlast strawä.
Janet Webster, a consultant who works with Gibbs, said one of the concerns is the children who wind up in these homes are moved many different times. She asked why are these children moving so many times.
Webster talked about problems these children face while growing up under government care.
Gibbs feels the government must look at how these children are treated.
ãWhat I feel is necessary is that we need to call for nothing less than an inquiry into the child care practices of this department and this government.ä
On Monday, Roberts said Gibbsâ contract was terminated because of findings in a report by the Yukon Workersâ Compensation Health and Safety Board.
ãIt wasnât an easy decision. I canât comment on the specifics of the report but it was just one of many,ä the minister said.
Roberts said the report could not be released because the government is in a contract with Gibbs. However, when it was pointed out that the government was not opening the contract up for bidding, since it will run the house itself, Roberts did not have a further explanation for the secrecy of the report.
Roberts said there were a number of incidents of concern, but refused to give any specifics.
The minister hinted there are problems with the home.
ãI guess when you get complaints, thatâs what happens,ä he said.
The minister denied the government was trying to muzzle Gibbs.
ãI guess thatâs her decision. I mean, she makes her statements based on what she feels itâs all about. We make ours based on what we really believe the facts are.ä
Roberts does not know of anything in her contract which prevents her from talking to the council without a government representative present.
With the termination of the contract, 21 staff members of the 16 Klondike Rd. facility will be out of work. A number of them, along with Gibbs, were in the legislature on Monday when the NDPâs Health critic, Dave Keenan, quizzed the government on its decision.
Gibbs said she found out about the termination last Friday.
Itâs her policy not to fire people on a Friday, so she was not going to tell her employees until the following week. However, employees from a different government program told her staff about the termination.
ãSo, unfortunately, they found out in such a horrible way.ä
Roberts said these people could apply for their jobs, which will be filled by the governmentâs normal hiring practices.
ãWe definitely hope that many of the staff that are currently employed will be employed by the government to make sure that that transition is smooth.ä
The hiring competition will start soon.
Gibbs operates three other homes and a youth and child care support program through contracts with the government. She admits that talking publicly may hurt those contracts.
ãI realize by speaking out that I run the grave risk of losing all those other contracts but because of the seriousness of this issue, we felt that (weâre) not prepared to stay silent
ã If a child dies in care, how can I go before the inquiry and say, ÎWell, did you know about this?â And I will say yes. ÎWell, why did you not speak out?â ÎBecause I was afraid of losing my job.âä
Keenan said the government should look at helping the children in a better way.
ãI feel they could do it in a much more effective way, a more thoughtful manner. If there are problems within a group home, then we should be addressing those problems,ä said Keenan.
ãItâs absolute knee-jerk at this point and time,ä said Keenan, who feels the government should be worrying about the children.
Gibbsâ contract to operate 16 Klondike Rd. was to expire on March 31.
Roberts hinted about the previous government in Gibbsâ contract.
ãRemember, this contract was signed, April 1, this was during the election. I donât know if it has anything to do with it.ä
However, Health Department spokeswoman Pat Living said the contracts are renewed every year at the beginning of the fiscal year ÷ April 1.
Gibbs was a candidate for the NDP in 1992 in the Lake Laberge riding.

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